WEBVTT POPPING UP IN THE MARINA ANDALONG THE SHORE.GOOD EVENING, I'M DAN GREEN.ERIN CLARK IS OFF TONIGHT.WE ARE BEGINNING TONIGHT WITHCOVERAGE OF THE UNUSUALLY WARMWATER.SEE LIFE LIVING IN IT ISAFFECTED, AS OUR PEOPLE LIVINGIN IT.TEAM COVERAGE BEGINS WITH ACTIONNEWS REPORTER LAUREN SEEVER.SHE IS LIVE IN MONTEREY WHEREE WE ARE SEEING WHAT COULD BEAPOTENTIAL FISCAL.LAUREN: THERE ARE STILL MORE THEWATER.THE REASONING FOR THIS IS ACOMBINATION OF A FEW THINGS, THEHARBORMASTER SAYS THETEMPERATURES ARE MUCHWARMER THAN NORMAL.HE ESTIMATES THE TEMPERATURE AT69 DEGREES.THE SECOND IS A LACK OF WATERMOVEMENT.THE TIDES ARE MOST DYNAMIC.AND THE THIRD PROBLEM IS THEANCHOVIES ARE LARGEST IN SUMMER.THE COMBINATION CONTRIBUTES TOLESS OXYGEN AND WATER, WHICH ISKILLING THE FISH.THE WHOLE WEST COAST ISEXPERIENCING IS INEVITABLYHIGHER LEVEL OF WATERTEMPERATURE, 2-5 DEGREES WARMERFAHRENHEIT.IT IS A LOT.THAT IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY HARDTHING FOR THE FISH TO SURVIVE.LAUREN: WHAT IS BEING DONE TOSAVE THEM?THERE ARE 15 AERATORS IN THEHARBOR TO KEEP THE FISH ALIVE.THEY WILL REMAIN ON FOR THE NEXTFEW WEEKS.THEY WILL SCOOP UP THE DEAD FISHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO PREVENTANY ODOR.SOMETHING TO NOTE, DEADANCHOVIES ARE NOT JUST SHOWINGIN THE MONTEREY HARBOR.THEY ARE WASHING UP ALL THE WAYTO THE MARINA.THIS IS A LARGER PROBLEM THANJUST HERE IN THE HARBOR.DAN?DAN: THINK YOU VERY MUCH,LAUREN.IN SANTA CRUZ, BIOLOGIST HAVEBEEN STUDYING THE TOXIC WATER.ACTION NEWS REPORTER PHIL GOMEZCONTINUES OUR TEAM COVERAGE.PHIL?PHIL: AT ONE POINT, THIS TOXICBLOOM APPEARED TO BEDISSAPATING.BUT IT THRIVES IN WARM WEATHER.AND WITH WARMER TEMPERATURESOCCURING IN THE MONTEREY BAY ANDA POWERFUL EL NIÑO ON THEHORIZON, SCIENTISTS PREDICTIT'LL BE BACK A THIRD YEAR.WE CAN SEE THAT IT'S STILLKIND OF HUGGING THE COAST.PHIL: THIS MAP SHOWS THEBEGINNING STAGES OF THE TOXICBLOOM IN MAY.THERE'S NOT MUCH TO SEE.BUT HERE'S ANOTHER LOOK AT IT INJUNE.AT ITS HEIGHT, THIS RED-COLOREDAREA SHOWS HOW MUCH IT'S SPREAD.IT'S GONE A LITTLE BIT OFFSHORE AND DEEPER.BECAUSE EVERY TIME CONDITIONSGET BETTER, IT POPS BACK UP.AND SO WE STILL SEE IT.PHIL: PROFESSOR OF OCEANSCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OFCALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ, RAPHAELKUDELA AND HIS TEAM RUN AREGIONAL ALGAE MONITORINGPROJECT.AND THEY'RE MEASURING SOME OFTHE HIGHEST LEVELS OF NEUROTOXINDEMOIC ACID EVER OBSERVED IN THEREGION.IT'S REALLY HAVING AN IMPACT ONSEA LIFE HERE IN THE MONTEREYBAY.THE SURPRISING THING IS WE'VEGOTTEN FISH SAMPLES FROM THERE,AND WE'VE SEEN TOXIC LEVELS INTHE ANCHOVIES THAT ARE PROBABLYTWO TO THREE TIMES HIGHER THANTHEY EVER WERE REPORTED.PHIL: WHALES, PELICANS, AND SEALIONS FEED ON ANCHOVIES.SEA LIONS ARE THE HARDEST HIT.THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER INSAUSALITO HAS RESCUED 157 SOFAR.ABOUT HALF SURVIVED.IT CAUSES SWELLING IN THE BRAINAND CAN CAUSE DEATH.THOSE WHO SURVIVE CAN DEVELOPAMNESIA.THEY'RE LOST OR DON'T KNOWWHERE TO GO.AND THAT'S WHY SOME OF THESE SEALIONS END UP SWIMMING IN RIVERS,OR END UP INLAND -- FAR AWAYFROM THE OCEAN WHERE THEY SHOULDBE.PHIL: YOU WOULDN'T KNOW BYLOOKING.THE BLOOM CONSISTS OFMICROSCOPIC ALGAE THAT GIVE THEWATER A VAGUE BROWN-GREY CAST.IT ALSO APPEARS TO THRIVE INWARM CONDITIONS.TODAY'S WATER TEMPERATURE IN THEMONTEREY BAY WAS RECORDED AT ATEPID 69 DEGREES.AND WITH THE LARGEST EL NIÑO ONTHE HORIZON --WE WOULD PREDICT WE'LL HAVE ATHIRD YEAR IN A ROW NEXT SUMMER,WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THESAME KIND OF CRAZY CONDITIONS.PHIL: ONCE A SEA LION HASRECOVERED, THE MARINE MAMMALCENTER CHECKS TO ENSURE IT'S NOTSHOWING AMNESIA SYMPTOMS.BEFORE IT'S RELEASED BACK INTOTHE OCEAN.REPORTING IN SANTA CRUZ PHILGOMEZ, KSBW ACTION NEWS 8.DAN: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.THE WARM WATER TEMPERATURES AREVERY SIGNIFICANT.WE ARE ACTUALLY BREAKINGRECORDS.CHIEF METEOROLOGIST LEE SOLOMON.LEE: JUST YESTERDAY WE HADANOTHER RECORD -- 69 DEGREES.FOLKS ARE WONDERING WHAT ISGOING ON.THE MAIN FACTOR, AGAIN, OR USNOT HAVING THE COOLERTEMPERATURES IS DUE TO THE WIND.WE WILL LOOK AT THAT IN ASECOND.THE NUMBERS, WE DID HIT 69YESTERDAY.20 MILES OFFSHORE, TEMPERATURESCAN VERY FROM THE WATER EDGE ALLTHE WAY TO OFFSHORE.AVERAGE WEATHER WAS UPPER 50'S.WE ARE WAY ABOVE THAT.IN THE WATER TEMPERATURE RIGHTNOW IS BACK AT 67.WE DO HAVE A BREEZE ON THE BAY.WE WOULD SEE A LOT OF WIND INSPRING, BUT REALLY HAD A WEEK OFIT.SINCE THE COOLER WATERS, THEWIND HAS DIED OFF.THE WIND TURNS OVER THE WATERCOLUMN, IT BRINGS COLDER WATERDOWN DEEP AND BRINGS IT TO THESURFACE.THAT IS WHY WE HAVE SO MUCHMARINE LIFE, AND HOLDS MOREOXYGEN.WE HAVE NOW, THAT LOW RUSHER OFFTHE COAST.WELL OFFSHORE, MOST OFUSREPORTING 5-10.WE HAVE NOT HAD MUCH WIND ALLSUMMER LONG.WE HAVE NOT HAD THE OF SWELLING,AND AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE WITHTHE WINDS, WE WILL CONTINUE WITHWARM WATER.WE WILL CHANGE WITH STORMS INTHE GULF.THAT COULD CHANGE THINGSQUICKLY.ANOTHER SIDE NOTE, THIS IS NOTTHE EL NIÑO WARM WATER WE TALKABOUT.THAT IS OUT OVER THE TROPICALPACIFIC EQUATOR.THAT IS DIFFERENT.THERE ARE OTHER BIGTHINGS INTHE ATMOSPHERE AND OCEAN THECAUSES.BUT BASICALLY IT IS UP SWELLING,YOU DON'T HAVE THE TURNOVER OFTHE WATER COLUMN.IT IS GOING TO STAY WARM.WE WILL ABOUT EL NIÑO AT 6:00 ALITTLE BIT LATER.